What’s In My Camera Travel Bag

No doubt, when you’re travelling you’re going to want to capture every moment. Whether you like taking photos or videos, if you’re anything like me you will most likely be boarding your flight with a bag full of equipment heavy enough to leave those big red marks across your shoulders! Here is a look into what’s in my camera bag when I’m travelling overseas. I don’t carry all this around with me throughout the days when I’m exploring – for example, my iPad never leaves the hotel room, but everything below comes in extremely handy at some point and I wouldn’t leave for the airport without it!

1. Nikon SLR D5300

My baby, my other arm, my travel accessory that I never leave home without. My Nikon SLR D5300 is honestly one of the loves of my life. There is an argument that SLRs take up valuable room and space and are very heavy to travel with, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love this camera and everything it can do. I love taking it on adventures with me and having it as a constant travel companion. My SLR has been to just as many countries and destinations as I have, and it never disappoints. It has been a great investment and I love it to death! You can check it out on Amazon here.

2. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED Zoom Lens

My most expensive camera purchase to date (even more than the camera body itself), but the one I am always the most grateful for is my Nikon 18-300mm Camera Lens. Primarily purchased because I hate changing lenses and don’t want to miss out on a beautiful picture because I need to change at the last minute. It has come in handy more time than I can count, allowing me to effortlessly change between shooting landscapes and zooming in for impressive detail, especially when fast moving animals are involved! It retails for about $1000AUD depending on where you’re shopping.

3. GoPro Hero 5 Black

My newest addition for underwater photography, the GoPro has earned it’s name as the best of the best in action photography. These little babies are waterproof, shockproof, dust-proof and drop-proof and you can take them everywhere with you. I love the Hero 5 Black because it has a screen on the back, so I can easily check photos when I’m in the water without needing my phone or anything else. You can find the GoPro on Amazon here.

4. iPad & SD Card Reader

My iPad is an essential part of my camera team. When I’m travelling each night I transfer my photos from my camera to my iPad via the Apple SD Card Reader. It essentially creates a back up of my images until I go home and transfer them to my computer and hand drive. I will also drop them onto my iPhone so I can edit them on the go, sort through them and upload them to my Google Photos Drive as I go. Not only does this allow me to view my images in a larger format and edit them straight away, but it also stores them safely for you as a back up in the unfortunate (and hopefully unlikely) case that your camera gets lost or stolen while you’re out and about, or a technology glitch results in them all being deleted for some unknown reason! That’s my worst nightmare!

5. DJI Mavic Pro Drone

The Mavic Pro by DJI is my new favourite toy that I want to take with me everywhere. Aerial photography is so much fun and offers you such a unique perspective. Definitely grab the Fly More Combo for the Mavic Pro, as it offers you extra batteries, a car charger, a multi-station charger and a carry case to keep everything in. I can’t even explain how handy those extra batteries have come in when we’ve gone flying! This is my second drone and I couldn’t recommend it any more highly if you’re looking to get into aerial photography. It’s compact size is also a giant plus because it can easily fit in any sort of camera bag you have! Check out the DJI Mavic Pro Fly More Combo on Amazon.

6. Extra SD Memory Cards and Batteries

In my opinion there are two extremely upsetting technology situations that you never want to be in when you’re travelling. The first is obviously that your camera battery dies. Horrible; this is not a good situation for anyone, especially if it’s early in the day! The second is that your SD card is full and you have to make the excruciating decision of what photos to delete to create more space. Easily avoidable by always carrying a spare battery and extra SD cards. I don’t go anywhere without them!

Happy travels,
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Emma is a travel photographer and blogger, living in Melbourne, Australia with her husband Thom in between adventures. She started Explore Shaw to share her experiences, travel tips and destination advice, and to inspire others to travel the world and their own backyard whenever they can.